Attach to Form 990 or 990-EZ.| Identifier | Return Reference | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| F990_P01_S00_L14 | Form 990, Part I, Line 14 | Reclassification of benefits paid to members. The instructions for the 2011 From 990 clarify that "benefits paid to members" should include the amount of patronage dividends paid to the members of section 501(c)(12) cooperatives. Consistent with this clarification in the instructions, the Cooperative has reported on this line for the current year the amount of patronage dividends paid and/or allocated to the Cooperative's members for the 2011 calendar year. Since Part I summarizes both prior and current year data, the Cooperative has chosen to also report on this line for the prior year the amount of patronage dividends paid and/or allocated to the members for the 2010 calendar year. Because the instructions for the 2010 Form 990 did not provide a such a clarification, the 2010 Form 990 was not prepared in this manner. However, since the Cooperative did in fact allocate patronage dividends to its members for the 2010 calendar year, it believes that both the prior year and current year columns of Part I should be prepared consistently in order to reflect that the Cooperative has a pre-existing obligation to allocate, and does allocate, patronage dividends to its members for each year that it operates for the benefit of the members. |
| F990_P06_S0A_L06 | Form 990, Part VI, Section A, Line 6 | New Hampshire Electric Cooperative, Inc ("the Cooperative") has members. Any person, firm, corporation or body politic may become a member in the Cooperative by: a) making a application for membership and service; b) agreeing to purchase goods or services from the Cooperative as specified in the bylaws; and c) agreeing to comply with and be bound by the Certificate of Organization of the Cooperative and the Code of Bylaws and any amendments thereto and such rules and regulations as may from time to time be adopted by the Board of Directors. No person, firm, corporation or body politic may own more than one (1) membership in the Cooperative. |
| F990_P06_S0A_L07a | Form 990, Part VI, Section A, Line 7a | The Cooperative's eleven (11) member Board of Directors is chosen by and from the membership. At each annual meeting to which ballots are returned, directors are elected for three-year staggered terms, with at least three to be elected each year. |
| F990_P06_S0A_L07b | Form 990, Part VI, Section A, Line 7b | The following items are subject to the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the members voting by mail ballot: a)disposition of property that exceeds, in any one (1) year, ten percent (10%) of the value of the Cooperative's "Total Utility Plant" as stated in the most recent Annual Report of the Cooperative; b) disposition of any one item of a damaged property value (at depreciated book) at more than $25,000; c)acquisition of generation, transmission and/or distribution facilities for which the purchase price exceeds twenty-five percent (25%) of the value of the Cooperative's "Total Utility Plant" as stated in the most recent Annual Report of the Cooperative; d) the sale of the Cooperative's entire system or the dissolution of the Cooperative; e) the alteration, amendment or repeal of the Cooperative's Code of Bylaws; and f) the amendment of the Certificate or Organization. |
| F990_P06_S0B_L11b | Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 11b | The Cooperative's Form 990 is reviewed by the Audit Committee with a recommendation to the full governing body. |
| F990_P06_S0B_L12c | Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 12c | Annual review of policy by Board of Directors and Board committee, annual review of ethics policy which includes conflict of interest by audit committee; disclosure to Board of Directors. |
| F990_P06_S0B_L15 | Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 15 | The Cooperative's has an independent compensation consultant provide a CEO compensation analysis to the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for review with the Board of Directors. To ensure the wages of the CEO and non-union employees are within the salary ranges that are reasonable yet competitive in the marketplace, NHEC engages an outside compensation consultant who specializes in compensation and is highly knowledgeable about rural electric cooperatives. Every few years the consultant issues a report to the NHEC Board of Directors establishing a fair market value range for the CEO position based on operating criteria. This operating criteria includes number of members served, total utility plant and operating revenue. For non-union employees, the consultant has built a compensation model which includes salary grade and pay ranges. The salary grades are based on job descriptions which are evaluated on the factors of job knowledge, leadership, organizational effect, complexity, and communication. The internal grade values are merged with external salary survey information (reflecting comparable pay for similar positions in comparable organizations). This modeling and optimization of internal equity and external market data is the basis of the established NHEC pay ranges. Line 15b. The Cooperative has an independent compensation consultant review and update wage schedules. |
| F990_P06_S0C_L19 | Form 990, Part VI, Section C, Line 19 | Fully audited financials, current Form 990 filing and policy on ethics & conflict of interest are posted on NHEC's website. |
| F990_P09_S00_L04 | Form 990, Part IX, Line 4 | The Form 990 instructions for the current year clarifies that the amount of patronage dividends paid to the members should report on Part IX, line 4 as "benefits paid to member". The Cooperatives tax exempt purpose is to provide electricity to its members and to do so, on a cooperative basis. Tax law defines "Operating on a cooperative basis" as subordination of capital, democratic control, and operation at cost. The Cooperative operates at cost through the allocation of true patronage dividends (also reflect to as allocatoins of patronage capital) to it members. Patronage dividends are considered paid if the the allocation is made (1) pursuant to a pre-existing obligation, (2) from the margins produced from the transaction done with or for members, and (3) in a fair and equitable basis on the basis of patronage (i.e. purchases). Additionally, the allocation of patronage dividends should be made within a reasonable time period after the close of the Cooperative's year-end of December 31. The amount reported on this line represents the amount of patronage capital that is either allocated or to be allocated to the members resulting from the purchase of electricity form the Cooperative for the 2011 calendar year. Such amount are allocated subsequent to year-end in a fair and equitable manner on the basis of patronage (i.e. purchases). The amounts allocated are representative on the margin from the provision of electric energy to the members and are done pursuant to the obligation that existed in the bylaws prior to the Cooperative providing electricity to its members. Therefore, these amounts meet the definiaiton of the term "patronage dividends paid:. Patronage dividends allocated for the 2011 and reported on line 4 in the amount of $11,698,684. there were no patronage dividends physically paid in cash during 2011 and no retirements of prior year's allocation were paid. Please note, however, that because patronage dividends is the process by which the Cooperative operates at cost with its members and thereby a key component to accomplishing its exempt purpose, the Cooperative has reported the amount of its 2011 margin that has been or is to be allocated to the member subsequent to year-end. Such amounts are and expense for Form 990 reporting and is not an expense for financial statements prepared in accordance with General Accepted Accounting Principles. As a result, the difference between the Cooperative's GAAp basis financial statement and the revenue less expenses reported on Part I, line 19 is the amount of patronage dividends report as benefits paid to members. |
| F990_P11_S00_L05 | Form 990, Part XI, Line 5 | The amount reported on this line represents the amount of patronage capital that is either allocated or to be allocated to the members resulting from their purchase of electricity from the Cooperative for the 2011 calendar year. Such amounts are allocated subsequent to year-end in a fair and equitable manner on the basis of patronage (i.e. purchases). The amounts allocated are representative of the margins from the provision of electric energy to the members and are done pursuant to the obligation that existed in the bylaws prior to the Cooperative providing electricity to members. Therefore, these amounts meet the definition of the term "patronage dividends paid". |
| Software ID: | 11000129 |
| Software Version: | v1.00 |